Four Boys and tons of toys...

December-palooza

2012-01-06T11:04:00.016-07:00

This is going to be a lot of pics. Happy b-day Abram, Merry Christmas and Happy 2012!!

We've been going to the festival of trees for the last few years. This year we got to got with our neighbors, the Walkers. It was wild and crazy packed, but we always looking at the trees and seeing what people come up with. When I'm rich, maybe I'll buy one.

Nolans Fav...

Da Fellas

Every year Santa comes around Eagle Mountain on a firetruck throwing candy from the top of it. Most of the time he hits all the streets, but not always, so we have to do a little chasing to catch up to that fat man. This year we chased him all over the Raches before finding out he came right in front of our house.

Ho, ho, ho....

The boys and Teeny gingerbread housing.

All the boys - Nash is officially chubby!

So, last year for Abrams b-day we went down to SLC and stayed in a hotel and saw the lights, went to dinner, and then saw the Utah Symphony. This year A wanted to do the same thing, so did we. We booked the same hotel and headed to the city.

Our first stop was the Spaghetti Factory. Nash and the boys got to see Santa while we were waiting.

Waiting for the food. It was certainly worth it.

After that we headed up to see the lights. We walked from our hotel to the TRAX station. We were in the free zone so it was nice not to have to pay.

N and T waiting.....

Rollin' to Temple Square.

Abrams nostrils and some might fine red lights. It was a perfect night.

The whole clan.

After the lights the boys were ready for a little swimming. I'm not sure what they are plotting here, but as long as they do it together, we're okay with it.

The next day we went to see 'The Muppets' movie. It was pretty good. Teeny and I laughed at all the dumb humor in it.

Abram wanted to have a LEGO birthday party this year, and that it just what he got. It was wild and crazy. Our family has definitely come to love LEGOs this year.

The creations

LEGO heads...

This kid looks way to grown up. We wish he would stop.

Abram and the goods. He got a pretty sweet birthday, and rightfully so. He is just a great unique kid and we're so lucky he's ours!!

Before the unwrapping...

Testing out the machine..he had to have gears.

Abram with Rock Em' Sock Em'! The party went on at Granny's

Cole and Abram with their candles.

Nash with Granny Angus. She was fun with the little guy.

Nolan pleading his case for toys..

Abram must have felt pretty confident...

Nolan's nose....to funny to not get a pic of!

Teeny tried to figure out exactly what Santa had in mind for a pic with Nash. This was probably the best. Nash wasn't to keen on it though.

Tate asked for the Death Star Lego set.

Granny and Santa.

Can't tell these ladies are all related right?

Nolan, Abram and Tate at the Miller Family Sing a Long in SLC. Free tickets!!

My little sis, Rachy, was in town for the festivities this year and she makes things so fun. It's always a party. The kids went over to Granny Becky's and made cookies with their cousins. It was tasty and fun.

Noly decorating away....

This is what Nash did most of the time.

Mr. A had some pretty sweet cookies.

Tate getting his frosting on.

After the kiddos got sick of decorating the adults moved in for the real deal.

Part of the festivities at the Spencer house, the manger scene. This year we had an actual baby for the Baby Jesus.

Animals...

Neil and Nash.

Christmas Eve before the kids headed off to bed.

Kjerstine and I made this table for the kids. It was pretty simple and super fun for the kids.

Hung with care. Nash's is the star on the end.

Before the madness ensued.

During the madness.

Post madness, playing with their stuff.

They all got what they wanted at Grandma Jensen's. Light up light sabers, with sounds.

Drew has amazing taste in pj's and hats.

This is a picture of the house that Shirley grew up in with her sisters Nedra and Ruth.

Doug and Maela on the River walk.

The clan on the parkway.

Nolan got this race track from Santa. It was pretty sweet.

We got to go iceskating too over the break. The kids love it. Tate had a hard time until he decided it was fun.

Skatin' around.

This is proof Nash was there. It was kind of fun pushing his stroller on the ice.

Lucky dad.

We went to see the lights with Rachy and her girls the night they left for home. It was soo good seeing her and Doug and the girls. We're stoked for the upcoming addition too!!

Nash in his monkey hat.

Rachy and Mae.

Tate and Teeny in her coat I got her for Christmas.

I'd promised Abram at the beginning of the break that I'd take him shooting, so on the very last day, I did. It was a redneck extraveganza!! It turned out to be the whole fam shooting outing. We had a great time taking out targets and the Trix bunny.

Annie stinking Oakley

"I think i seen a possum!"

Bearing down on the targets....

Tate's always first to get a messy face.

We also purchased the 'Pass of all Passes' along with the rest of Utah County. We cached them in at Trafalga and it was packed so we headed outside and played a little mini golf. It's great fun.

The smackers.....

All in all we had a great break. I was able to take off most of the end of the year and spending time with the fam is just about the best thing I could ever imagine doing. Here's to family.

Wolves, Trees and Trotts

2011-12-08T08:16:00.005-07:00

It's much easier to update our blog when it's not months at a time, but just a few weeks. We stay pretty busy with the boys and try to make life as fun as we can. Here's the pics:

Abram earned his Wolf badge this last October. He loves scouts and all they do. I hope that I can still be the 11 year old scout leader until he comes in. It was nice having my dad as my scout leader most of my life and I'd love to be my boys. Way to go Mr. A!

Getting the goods with Teeny.

Nash taking his bath. He loves it. Look at all that chub!

Our city does a free Thanksgiving Turkey Trott every year. It starts right out by our house which is nice and ends in the city center. They give out hot chocolate and doughnuts at the finish line. We didn't do it last year because it was snowing and freezing, but things worked out good this year. It was fun having the boys (all 4) with us.

Nash was bundled up big time. He was an excellent runner.

The boys at the starting line

Abram is apparently #1. We'd agree with that.

The trek to the city center. There were probably 150 people that ran it.

A chugging along

Noly and Teeny finishing strong.

Waiting for the bus. It may just well be the boys favorite part of the event.

Teeny and I have been cutting our own Christmas tree down for about 11 years. It's a great tradition that we've been glad to share with great friends and family. This year was a record setter. We found trees in less than 30 minutes and they were awesome. We missed Becky and Neil this year and even offered to scalp them an extra, but Neil has become too much of a stickler about rules in his old age. Hopefully we'll get them back next year. We headed up with Kristy and Miles this year and went to the same spot up by Daniels Summit. We got stuck for a second, but were able to dig out easily and get on our way. All the kids were great troopers as well as Nash. It was a bright sunny, freezing cold day, but we all had a great time. We hit the local hot spot in town for lunch in Heber before coming home to set up the tree. It is in the top two of my favorite traditions ever.

Posing with the tree.

These guys' feet were freezing. Apparently snow in the boot can be a little cold.

I love that we have to have a ladder to decorate the tree. It's about 11 feet tall. The fellas love it too.

Noly getting set to place the star.

Awwww....family.

Halloweening and more....

2011-11-16T12:43:00.018-07:00

Here's our post of the month. We blessed Nash (pagan no-more), had Halloween, birthday, Christmas tree permit-ed, and partied in between. On to the pics:

My sister Rachy and her girls came down one weekend in October for Nash's blessing whilest her hubby (now known as D-Fresh Legit) was securing a home for them in Warshington. It was great having her down and being with all the cousins that weekend.

Here are all the kiddies at Gardners Village. That place was a madhouse of estrogen.

Here's the prize princess and her mom

Taking a breather whilest we ordered some cookies to refuel

We blessed Nash on October 16th. He has been changing so much and we wish he could stay this small for a little longer, but we're soaking it all in, spit up and all. He was great during his blessing. All of our kids have been. If not, it'd be a pretty quick blessing.

Nash and Teeny. Instant classic. Teeny fretted a lot over Nash's little outfit, but it was certainly perfect.

After everyone left.

Mr. A had his first Pinewood derby car race for scouts. He helped out a lot. He helped decide what it looked like, did all the painting, and a lot of sanding too. He placed 8th out of about 20 cars or so and won 2 of the 4 heats he was in.

Mr. A and the machine. It was super light so we had to use just about everything we could find to weigh it down.

In action....

Cornbelly's was a blast this year. We haven't been for years and thought it was still the same little po-dunk it started out as. We were stoked to get there and see how much it had grown. It was like a hill-billy's Lagoon. The kids could have stayed for twice as long to do everything there. It was a perfect night for it though.

Mr. A has the baby down.....training by Nash.

This was the giant bounce pillow they had there. It was tons of fun.

Rubber horses.

This was the picture we took of the boys the last time we were there.

This is the same slide this time around. Kind of sad to see them grow up, but they are such great kids! We are so lucky!

Birthing out of the balloon.

One of the six bounce houses they had there.

Spider boys.

There's always time for a hayride, you can quote me on that.

Hayriding.

The old fire engine.

The 'cool' bus.

Even Teeny got in on all the hoorah!

So, my dad's brother called to tell him he had just gone fishing and 'knocked em dead' at Strawberry. Unsurprisingly, I get a call from my dad telling us we need to go fishing. He was great enough to get us a boat and set everything up and we had a blast fishing with grandpa Neil and the cousins.

So, apparently Nolan can only catch fish that are monsters. This is the biggest fish I've ever seen caught. It was a mere 22 inches and had to be 24 for us to keep it.

Even Tate got in on the fishing action. Both he Nolan and I caught fish. Abram was okay because he caught two at Fish Lake this summer.

The weather was actually pretty nice for us, but Abram just loves to wear a hat.

We were lucky enough to also get to have Ava spend a day with us! She is my favorite Ava ever and is such a blast to be with. The boys showed her all the dino magic at the museum.

It was Halloween day at the museum and there was all kinds of things to do. We even watched a lizard eat a rat. Abrams mustache is my favorite.

Abra-cadabra!

Abram at his first piano recital. He played Surprise Symphony and did so good. He is doing great with piano and we love it.

We have to take pics of Nash just to prove we took him along to all these great places. Someday he'll be in the know with us too.

The chillins at the sand and water table.

Ava asked me if she could go inside the shark. Sure, why not?

Pumpkin carving time! We grew a giant pumpkin this year and got the rest from our Bishops patch where we make a donation to the perpetual education fund every year. It's a great idea and we love that we can get pumpkins in our own neighborhood.

Teeny LOVES to carve pumpkins.

Guttin' em out.

The finished products. Nicely done.

Me being a Jack Pirate with the 'Monster Nash'. Teeny thought that was so funny. She cracks me out.

Our city, yes the reservation is a city, held a Halloween party at the park near us. They had some fun stuff and a lot of business booths. We mostly hit the fun stuff.

Again, the Nash and his cheeks. We got the monkey hat from our neighbors the Moyers. Thank you!!

Chub-A-Lubba!

A picture from Farm Country during Halloween season.

Abram at his school parade. He obviously was not any ninja, but the muscle ninja, lest you mistake.

Tate and Nolan went as Vader and Captain America. I think that is their friend Rheagan between them. That's all they talk about. Funny kids.

The party at Neils office was nothing short of stellar again. We got full size candy bars and enough candy to choke a horse. Thanks for the invite!

Heading out to Trick-or-Treat. It was me and the boys this year. Teeny was puking from her headache. Bummer.

So, one of our favorite traditions is cutting down our own tree. We went up to get our permit this year and got THE VERY LAST ONE. Holy smoley we got lucky. We didn't get one for Neil and Becky though, so they might have to poach one this year. We kept the kids out of school and headed up to Heber, then on to Park City and the Olympic Park. It was a great day.

The very last one.

The Spencer sled. Now with Nash they have a legit team........hmmmm........

Luge-ing

They had all kinds of interactive stuff the 'kids' played on.

Sa-weeeeet!

Holding the torch.

More luging and sledding.

Mr. Abram decided to snowball his dad. This is what he ended up with in the end.

We were so lucky to be there on a day they were having bobsled runs. We probably sat there and watched 20 sleds go down. It was so neat to see and hear those things cruise by. You could see their faces pretty good on this turn and they looked like they were crapping themsleves.

So close to the action.

So I'm a geezer now. I had another 23rd birthday and couldn't have asked for a better time with my family. I got an awesome tool chest and an iHome that I love. Thank you so much guys and Teeny for everything!!

The boys are working on keeping a secret. What kind of cake they got me was the hardest one to keep.

They all had messy faces, but Noly put them to shame.

Abram dinking with his brothers.

Abram is quite the prankster. He slapped this on Teeny while she was doing the dishes. It says, 'You are coo-coo-ka-choo".

All the boys love to hold Nash, and he loves it too. Little fatty.

Here he is with Nolan.

Abram has finally earned his Wolf. He'd have done it sooner if his dad could get it together. We had one last thing to to, go to the firestation, to complete it so we went and it was smashing.

The mural had lots of hidden things like Waldo, Bart Simpson, Pokemon stuff, etc...

Fireman Casey was great to help us out.

We even got a ride in the fire truck!

Mr. A got to sit in the front seat. It was the highlight of his week.

Check out the size of that siren!

Trying on fire fighter stuff. Heavy!

Ooccttoobbeerr.....

2011-10-12T09:27:00.019-06:00

This blog is twice as long as it should be, hence the title. After getting Nash home we stuck the old blog on the 'when we get to it' list. Well, here it is almost two months later. Here's the pics:

The boys first day of school. They are always pumped to get there in their new duds. A is in 3rd and N and T are in 1st. It's just not right.

Standing in line before the bell.

Mr. A. What a guy. He's done so great in school and we're so proud of the guy.

Nash came with us. We can wait before it's his first day.

He was still on oxygen and it was always funny taking him places and getting the 'You're taking your baby, who is on oxygen, out in public?!!' judgemental looks. He was only on a ridiculous trace. It was always a chore getting all his stuff together though.

Nash in his cradle. He's all hooked up and snoozing away.

This is the equipment we were sent for our little Nash. There was enough oxygen in that tank to last him about six months. A couple of times Clint tried to get an oxygen high, but it didn't work. Gladly that only lasted a couple weeks and then it was all gone. Dragging the little guy around the house with all the tubes got really old.

Here are they guys being guys. This was our Armenian cucumber from the garden they are posing with. You can also see our tomatoes.

Clint's guilty pleasure.

Sweetest little monkey.

One of his first baths. The nurses at the hospital showed us this trick with the blanket. We wrap him in that and stick him in the tub with it and keeps him so much warmer and secure. He loves his baths. He'll scream for just a second before the water temp hits him and then he'll usually fall asleep.

We went dove hunting with Nate and Co. It was a blast. We shot about 45 times and only got three doves. Awesome shots we are. Those doves were plenty safe flying around out there.

Granny and the guy. We were lucky enough to make it down to one afternoon of Labor Day thanks to Neil and Becky loaning us their car. Our monkey wagon broke down just days after we got Nash home from the hospital and took us a month to get it back. We had cabin fever mania.

Nash post tubes and stuff. He/we loved it!

The Beck and the boy.

Here is where he usually falls asleep during the day. It's funny he can just slip into slumber all by himself during the day without being wrapped up, but then at night, totally different story. We swear he knows whats up.

An outing with the boys. This was long in the works after we got the monkey wagon back. Teeny is always embarassed when the boys gear up in their Ute stuff. We look like such a fan family!

Here are the Ute fans in the flesh. This was the blessed day of the BYU game.

Boys and rocks. Meant to be.

Abram still reads to his brothers and we can never get enough of it. They all have a good chuckle together.

Our day at the zoo. We finally got out and made it! It was a perfect day, it was the zoo how couldn't it be?

Proof Nash was with us.

My favorite of the day, the Rhino.

The tigers were super close too. Huge and hungry.

Turtle boys.

Our favorite part - the bird show. It's the same every time, but the boys and us love it all the same.

The giraffe was licking the top of that post like crazy.

Measuring up.

The train ride.

N and T.

We had a late evening at the gardens one night. We hadn't been in a while with our crazy summer and we just had to go for even a half hour.

We've been telling A that we'd take him to Confererence after he was baptized. We finally got some tickets from Jacki and fam (thanks!) and took Nate and Co. with us. We got there super early (8:30am) and got perfect seats and a great parking spot. I was proud to be there with Abram.

We got seats on the very front row of the first tier right in the middle.

Abe and I.

Abram and Cole. What great guys!

Up the canyon at Cascade Springs for the leaves. The next week it snowed there. Glad we went when we did.

So, we're driving up the road and A asks,"Hey, are there wild horses up here?" Moose! I owe him a smoothie.

Tigers hiding.

The pools and the boys.

Nolan hanging out looking for fish.

Again, proof that Nash was with us. Soo glad he's here.

The dudes pulling some faces.

Collecting leaves.

Mr. A in front of the main spring.

This use to be a lot better spider tree.

On the way back we saw this. Man, how often do you see three Moose in the same day? And one of each kind at that?

This is our pumpkin we grew. It was a Martha Stewart seed mix and it got huge. It probably weighs close to fiddy pounds.

Our awesome amazing friend, Lynette (aka Larry), came and took these pics of Nash. She is the best and so talented. Thank you for all the time you take for us!! Enjoy them.

Baby Nash is here....

2011-08-09T07:33:00.004-06:00

After three weeks of strict bedrest in the hospital, little Nash was finally born! He is breathing on his own and is doing great. He weighs about four and a half pounds and is almost 18 inches long. He has been catching on to everything so fast and is getting stronger every day.

The second we saw him, there was an instant connection and confirmation that he was waiting for us to bring him into our family. We can't describe the joy and completeness we feel. He is so sweet and being around him brings us so much peace. What a sweet little guy we're blessed with along with Abram, Nolan and Tate.

Thank you to all of you that prayed on Nash's behalf. We completely recognize the power of prayer in his well being, and hope to repay the kindness that so many have shown us. It has truly been life changing.

Bright eyed n' bushy tailed

His little hands

The first time we got to hold him. Only Teeny knows the joy she feels here.

Tummy time.

Little perfect toes.

Again, thank you to everyone that has kept us in their prayers, offered us help, or just wanted to help. It means the world to us to know that so many people, many that we don't know that well, have our family in their thoughts.

Life at the "Hostible"

2011-07-30T23:04:00.006-06:00

So, it has been three weeks since I have been in the hospital. The Dr. has decided to deliver me at 34 weeks due to the fact that my water level are "dangerously low". The baby is doing really well on his stress tests and all seems to be well with him. The hostible (as my kids call it) is starting to really take its tole on me and I can not wait to go home!! I tell Clint this just about everyday. My amazing friend Lynette took my kids to Thanksgiving Point the other day. She told me that they were making throwing coins in the fountains and making wishes. Tate wished that his house was a hospital so that his mom could come home. Absolutely broke my heart. Life at the hospital is a roller coaster ride and my emotions are everywhere. I love to see my kids and I am so excited when they come. I have to make myself not cry every time they leave. Once they are gone I usually loose it. It is so hard not to be with my family. The unknown of what is next also just about makes me crazy. With all of this Clint has been my rock and when I am loosing it he makes me feel better. He is the best dad and husband ever and I am forever grateful that I have him!

My kids and Clint made this shirt and one for the baby while they were at Fish Lake.

My first wheelchair ride. I only get one a day. I love getting out of my bed and my room. We usually just let the kids play have dinner outside and just talk. It does good for my head and my soul.
Nolan playing outside at the hospital.

Tate at home talking to me on the phone. We do a whole lot of this.

Abram at home with the goggles my mom got Nolan while watching them during the day. My friends and family have helped so much and I can not thank them enough!! It makes me feel so much better to know that they are being well taken care of.

Nolan at home talking to me on the phone. These pics make me miss my house.

We did get to have a couple of sleep overs on the weekend. The boys had so much fun. They thought it was great sleeping at the hospital. We watched movies and had popcorn and I loved watching them sleep. It made me so happy just to have them here with me.

Watching a movie.

After our sleep over Clint took the boys swimming all day Saturday and then came back for a wheelchair ride and dinner. Clint is the best!

My boys at the pool. Our all time favorite thing to do in the summer.

Reading Harry Potter with my boys.

Watching another movie with my boys.

Some of my visitors. Ashlyn and Jake came to visit. Lindy came for the whole day and then stayed to watch our favorite show the Bachelorette with me. I know it's terrible....but it like a train wreck and I can not look away! Thanks everyone who has come to visit. It makes the time go by sooooo much faster!!!!

Clint taking care of business.

Grandma Becky brought lunch. My favorite thing here are the picnics outside. I love not eating a meal in my bed.

Taking in easy with Mr. T in our PJ"S

Abram having some popcorn and getting ready for bed.

Abram giving his brothers wheel chair rides in our own private Hawaii

Only 4 more day and we will have another Spencer boy. Thanks again for all the help everyone has been so far. I hope and pray everyday that this guy is going to be so healthy and strong and we can take him home soon and get back to our normal life with out any hiccups.

Our Adventures so Far this Month

2011-07-23T15:57:00.024-06:00

Life started out with a bang this month with so much fun stuff to do. I have learned that in a moment everything can change right before your eyes. Clint has been working tirelessly on finishing our basement before the baby gets here , and it has come a long way . We decided to hire out the sheet rock which gave us a couple of weeks off from working in the basement and more time to enjoy our kids and I am ever so glad that we have had that time!!

We started out at Thanksgiving point at the children's water gardens. Abram and Clint are making a tunnle in the sand I remember doing this as a kid and being so excited that you could touch hands under your sand pile.

The boys racing boats down the river.

We found this little nest of birds in the bear cave . Baby birds so cute!!

My cute boys in the bear cave.

Playing in the fountains.

Our 4th of July was a blast! We had our annual party at Neil and Becky's which was so fun. This is Mr. Abram at the fire work show in front of Grandma and Grandpas house.

Maggie and Fisher with Nolan and Tate watching the show. Neil did an excellent job buying fireworks this year. We had quite the show!

Nolan and Tate with their sparklers.

During the day we went to the new splash park by our house with the Boles.

Abram relaxing at the water park.

All the kids playing.

More splash park. We love hanging out with the Boles family.

Our kids really wanted to do fireworks in front of our house. They had so much fun helping Clint light them and then they would run as fast as they can back to the side walk. They make me laugh, and make me so happy!!

The weekend before the 4th we spent in Gunnison with my Sister Jodi and her family. They have a great celebration. My kids had a blast at the carnival, where they had the classic games that I remember doing at carnivals when I was a kid. You can spend like 10 bucks on tickets for all three of my kids, and they last all day.

Abram playing basketball.

Tate at the Fishing Booth.

Nolan digging for gold.

Abram and his prize.

Nolan and Tate waiting their turn to golf.

My boys with Mater.

Tate with his hat that he got at the parade.

The whole crew.

watching the fire works.
Jodi had an awesome set up in the back yard and we sang karaoke all night. We all rocked it hard core. So much fun!! Thanks for the party Jodi!!

while the boys golf the girls lay in the sun at the lake and let the kids swim. This is one of my favorite things in the world and I look forward to it all year long. My boys love this lake and have so much fun!!

One of our favorite past time is just playing in the back yard in the blow up pool. oh how I love summer time.

Bam just like that life changes one day I am watching my boys ride bikes in the front yard. The next I am in the hospital . I am 31 weeks pregnant and my water brakes. This is very hard to wrap my head around. Right now I am just trying to not go into labor until this baby is bigger. I am here for a while. 3 to 5 weeks. I am able to get of of bed to shower and use the bathroom, other then that I am in a bed all day and all night. I miss my family more then you could ever know. I am so sad to miss out on the rest of their summer. I hope and pray that this baby is healthy and will be able to come home fast and life can get back to normal soon.

We had planned on going to Fish Lake with Clints family. I made Clint still go and take the boys. it was so hard to be away from them for so long. But, it made me happy to know that my boys were with their dad having a amazing time and not having to worry about their mom in the hospital. Clint is the best dad in the world and I have the best kids ever. I am so grateful for my family.

My Abram and A giant mushroom they found hiking.

Hiking on the trail.

Arts and crafts at the cabin.

My sweet brothers and the cute shirt they made for their new little brother.

What is he doing??

And what is he doing??

Trying to make the kids smile for a pic!! I love it!

Everyone in front of the cabin.

Clint with all of his siblings. Who has the best nose??

Clint with cute little Larky.

Mae and Lark...cutest little girls in the world!!

Doug and Abe in front of the cabin. Doug was Abrams hero this trip, he gave Abram a pocket Knife. He has been wanting one so bad.

Playing by the river behind the cabin.

Nolan and Tate hanging out in the hammok.

Playing a family all time favorite game. Water in the Face.

Abram fishing on the party boat.

Nolan and Tate on the party boat, doing some fishing.

Tate looks so happy in this picture. It makes me laugh everytime I look at it.

Taking turns driving the boat.

All the boys on the boat.

Cole, Abram, Nolan, and Tate doing their star wars show.

Abram and his mellow mess.

Roasting the mellows.

Out for a family hike.

Fisher, Nolan , and Tate with the mushroom tree.

More hiking.

Who is that hot guy?? Thats right ladies my husband!!

More fishing.

Cole and Abram widdeling wood with their pocket knives.

Abram caught not just his first fish, but his first two fish!!

Nolan caught his fisrt fish and apparently it was very very tasty!!

Nolan bringing his fish in.

You cant really see but Abram is bringing in his first fish.

Nolan, Maggie, and Tate. So cute. I love those hats. They had a great time fishing and had tons of stories to tell me.

Lark really took to Abram on this trip and wanted to be with him all the time. Lindy told me she even started calling him buabua. He is going to be such a great big brother. I am excited to see my boys with our new little guy.

Abram with Ashlyn. My boys stayed with my sister Jodi for the first few days while I have been in the hospital. Clint picked them up on the way to Fish Lake.

I am so greatful for her and her family for helping those first few days. It was so great to know they are in good care when they cant be with me.

Me.... this is what I looked like when they left. This is what I looked like when they got back. This is what I will look like for a while. I hope and pray that this baby comes healthy and strong so I can get back to making more memories with my family.

Getting our Mune on....

2011-06-30T10:38:00.021-06:00

Finally getting around to updating our May and June. First off for some reason Teeny has neglected to mention that as of Sept. 14th, we'll be a family of six. That's right, baby boy numero quatro is on his merry way to the Spencer household. Lucky little devil anyways. So we've been going through moments of sheer happiness, and sheer craziness for the last seven months. We thought long and hard about this little guy and just couldn't put him out of our heads. We are completely excited about him being a boy and so far things look super for the little guy. We're in the stage where I can actually see Teeny's belly move.

Also, the mother that brought me, Clint, into this fine world has turned 60. Yesterday we were talking about when we were kids and that 40 used to be over the hill, now it's when you're 50 or 60, which is fine by me. Forty is kind of not a big deal, you get that everyone, not a big deal. I'm getting all to close and might be a little sensitive about it. For Becky's big day, my sister, Rachel, planned a surprise party for her and might I say we had a blast! She had no idea. There were lots of people there to celebrate with us. One thing I can say about my mother other than all of the amazing things she is, is that she knows how to enjoy life. It doesn't matter what is going on in her life, she enjoys it. We love you Ma!!

I pursued another half marathon this year as well. I ended up running the AF Canyon Half, which is one of my favorite, if not my favorite. I ended up getting my best time so far and had an amazing run. I think what I like best is that my entry fee went 100 percent to helping families in Utah County that can't afford cancer treatment. Way better that giving it to sponsors like Check City and other shmoes. I would definitely recommend this run to anyone.

The boys were great supporters. It was an early morning for them though. The race started at 6am!

Always glad to finish

So, the boys got some certificates from school to go to Trafalga in Lehi. They could have done almost everything there, but chose to do laser tag. Abram has done this once and has be boasting about how awesome it was ever since. They look pretty menacing with those guns and jackets. It was fun to hear them after talk about all the people they tagged.

Love Mr. T's expression. Get out of the way.

Teeny has officially been putting up with me now for 12 years. Longer if you count when we dated. She's amazing to say the very least. I could not have custom made someone better for me. We celebrated by going to the Waldorf Astoria in Park City. It was a pretty shmoozy hotel. We had valet service for the monkey wagon, a fireplace, balcony, etc. It was a super nice room. We needed a night away from things lately. We might not seem the busiest of people, but to get away for a night together was just superb.

My best GQ pose on the balcony. I got a lot of work to do on that one.

Teeny sipping on the sparkling juice they brought us. Fantastic.

We contemplated throwing the bed off the balcony so we could take it home.....but we're chickens.

So Nolan and Tate are now six! So not right. They are goofy little guys though and we still love watching the shenanigans they get into together. It doesn't seem that long ago that we were bringing these guys home from the hospital, scared out of our minds at that. But they have been more fun than we could have ever imagined. Happy birthday boys!

Nolan loves anything Captain America lately. Both him and Tate love superheros. Grandpa Bob just had a nice taste of ice cream.

Celebrating at Becky's with Jodi. Old pelters.

I wish I always felt this way when I got presents.

One of our highlights to our summer has been spending time with Miles and Kristy and their family down in Mesquite. Our kids all get along so well and we love to hang out with them. It was fortunate for us this year to be able to go down with them and stay at the condo and we'll never forget it. The pics are in reverse order here, but you'll get the gist.

Fisher Nolan and Tate were quite the buddies.

The Jensen Clan. Thank you so much for toting us along!

Our fam on the golf cart. The kids loved riding/ driving it around.

While there we swam, golfed, swam, played, swam, etc. Did I mention we swam a lot?

Nolan in a little hot tub of his own

All the party people.

Teeny and twins.

The general scene at the pool for 3 days.

Tate's ladybug.

Abram and his noodle.

Mr. Monkey

Future olympian.

Nolan about to slide.

"Golfing" is a very gracious way to explain what I'm doing here. The more I hit, the more 'fun' I had.

Nolan however did much better.

Just outside the condo.

Along with turning six, N and T graduated from Kindergarten. They love, love, love school and had an awesome teacher, Mrs. Rigby. She was so good and so fun for the boys. They came home everyday with a great story they did at school that day. Thank goodness for good teachers!

Mrs. Rigby and the fellas just before Teeny got her to cry.

Cap n' Gown...minus the gown.

N's turn.

They loved getting pics with all the buddies.

And buddy-ettes.

All Thor'd out after the boys birthday party. Oh, what seven rowdy kids'll do.

Super-Cake eaters.

Super Hero Training.

We went to see Kung Fu Panda II. In the zone.

Eating cupcakes at Pirate Pizza.

They even got to dress up on their B-day to go to school.

Fav's and the numero 6.

Wakey, wakey time for party!

Abram was stoked!

So, Abram will also be moving on next year. See ya second grade hello third. He loves to read and learned about a lot of different places this year.

His program was one of my favorites so far. They did patriotic songs and they all got really into it.

N watching the goal....or the camera.

A learned a lot about soccer this year and made some pretty great improvements.

Planting the garden. We planted early, then had to plant some things again because of the awesome 'sprinter' we had this year.

Another highlight for us was going to Capitol Reef National Park. I had a conference in Richfield (exciting I know, and yes, it was) and after we packed up and headed to camp. It was tougher that we though to get a campsite, but alas we arrived and rocked the reef.

Along a little river walk.

Hickman Bridge. It was hot and we were still used to 40 degree weather, so we appreciated the shade.

The guys did great and loved the shade too.

On the trail.

At the park in Fruita.

Heiroglyphing.

The boardwalk of hieroglyphs.

Mr. Tates little hole in the wall.

Hanging with my homies.

There were plenty of formations to climb around on. Almost too many.

More rock climbing.

Tate getting ready and warmed up to get into the game.

We enjoy a good mooch every now and then and some of our friends understand that apparently. The Walkers (Jeremy, Jenni, Tyler, and Jayce) invited us to Lagoon in May. Weather wise I'm sure it would be fine right? Not so. It was cold and snowy, but it did keep the crowds away and we got a lot of rides in on a cloudy day.

Awaiting the cars. I also got Abram on the zipper and Colossus.

Rockin' the Goon.

The manly men boarding the Tidal Wave.

That's our friend Jeremy with his tounge all hanging out. He's not nearly as crazy as he might look here.

Teeny was able to go to the zoo with N and T for their Kindergarten field trip. They had a blast.

Maybe the highlight of the whole day, riding the bus!

Catching up....Starting with April.

2011-05-25T20:55:00.009-06:00

It has been way too long since I have updated my blog. Here it comes anyway. We started out the month celebrating my birthday. Clint and my boys did a great job. These are some flowers Clint gave to me, and a card the boys made for me. We went out that night to dinner and a movie. Clints mom came over and watched the boys. She helped them make a cake and make me birthday cards. It was a great day!! Thank you Becky , Clint, and my 3 amazing little guys!

We also had spring break in April. The weather was not so great but we made the best of it. We spent a lot of time at Thanksgiving Point. On the nice days we were outside on the crappy days we were at the Dinosaur Museum. We had a great time just spending time together. Now that all my kids are in school I feel like I don't get enough time to just do fun things with them. So I tried to take advantage of all the time we had.

Abram did a little reading on his Spring break. The kid loves to read!

Nolan and Tate got to have a date with Grandma Becky and she got them some cowboy gear. They played cowboys in the backyard all week!

Dinosaur museum...it never gets old with these boys. They love it!

All three of my boys are playing soccer this year. Nolan and Tate had their first practice over spring break. They are loving soccer and I love watching them play!

We went to the tulip festival on a day Clint had off. We started off in the Children's water gardens and then to the tulip festival. It was soo beautiful and so fun to get out in the sunshine with my boys and run off some energy!!

After Spring brake Abram got to go to the dentist to have 5 teeth pulled and his gums lasered open to help with crowding, and to help his adult teeth come through. Poor kid was swollen for two days. He had a great time with the laughing gas while watching the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks. He was so goofy!!

Nolan and Tate's first soccer game.

Abrams first game of the year. He is playing sooo good this year and having so much fun!

I can't believe Easter has come and gone and I am just getting around to blogging about it.

Nolan and Tate coloring their eggs.

Abram and his cousin Cole.

Nolan on the hunt.

Abram getting some good finds.

Tate counting his eggs.

The whole clan.

After the hunt we went to the High School to let the kids run around. They ran and ran . They thought the track was great!

Easter morning at the Spencer house.

Catching bugs in the back yard with their new bug nets.

Blowing bubbles.

Off to Grandma Jensen's for another egg hunt and a whack at the pinata.

Way too much candy!!

Thanks April!! You were fun!

The end of our winter and the beginning of our Spring

2011-03-24T18:51:00.018-06:00

Clint and his dad went on a snowshoeing trip up Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Clint taking in the view.

Neil on the trail

We got one more ice skating day in this year before it all melted away.
Gotta love Valentines day cookies!! Tate being cute.

Abram had to make cake for his Blue and Gold dinner. The theme was outer space. I thought he did so good. He came up with his own idea for his cake and decorated it by himself. Good job Mr. Abram!!

Bowling in the winter is starting to be a family tradition with us. The boys love it and its always a great thing to do when its so cold out side that you just want to die! We got to bowl in the VIP room this day. The boys thought that was the best ever.

Abram lining it up.

Tate getting ready to bowl.

Nolan in action.

We all had dentist appointments and we all came out on top with no cavities. Woo-Hoo!! After we decided to hit up the local Krispy Kream for a donut and some milk. I know its kind of counter active, but the boys loved watching the donuts being made.

Abram was student of the month and won a pass to play laser tag. So, Clint and Abram had a night of laser tag. Abram is still talking about it. He absolutely loved it! I am so proud of the amazing student he is. Keep it up!!

One of the first warm days of the year. We took to the park to play some football!

Grandma Becky got the boys Legos for Christmas and they have been really into building all kinds of things. This is the zoo Abram, Nolan, and Tate made.

Our Jazz game of the season. Ya gotta a least get one in.

Our friends the Walkers came with us

Abram, Nolan, and Tate got new Jazz shirts and had so much fun!

Nolan and Tate's Kindergarten teacher is the best! She always does the funnest things with them and they love her. I seriously wish she could be their teacher next year and for years to come. They came home from school on St, Patricks day all dressed up like leprechauns and they have been looking for leprechauns every where ever since. Tate wants to be a leprechaun for Halloween next year. They are so funny and they make me so happy!

We took a trip to Zions which started out late and we did not get to hotel until about 8:30 pm. That first night they boys had a blast playing in this cupboard under the T.V. I love to watch their imaginations work.

The next morning we started off hiking and we hiked the whole day. From about 9:00 to 5:00. My boys are like little mountain goats. They had so much fun and love to be out in the warm air and mountains. The weather could not have been better. It was beautiful! It always helps to cure the winter blues when you leave Salt Lake in a snow storm and by the time you get to Zions there is a heat wave and you have not been this warm in months!

Nolan and Tate hiking

Abram took his binoculars everywhere he went.

I love this picture with the mountains in back.

The first of many falls that we came to.

It was so muddy to walk under the falls. We had red mud everywhere. For some reason mud always makes stuff more fun. You gotta love it!

The pictures don't do the mud justice. It was so muddy it sucked the shoes off of Nolans feet and we had a minute of panic trying to get him and his shoes out of the mud.

SO many beautiful places.

We planned this trip because my niece was getting married that weekend down by Zions. It just so happens that Clint parents had planned to go to Zions the same weekend. So we spent a lot of time with them hiking around. They are so fun to be around and the kids could not be happier then when Grandma and Grandpa are there.

Neil and Becky hiking up from the falls.

Nolan showing off his muscles.

Hiking through a narrow part of the trail.

Nolan and Tate out hiking us all. I had to keep telling them to slow down and not to get too far ahead.

Abram loves the water. Always has.

Tate looking for fish.

The whole clan.

Tate watching the water.

The upper Emerald pool water fall.

Nolan found himself and nice little spot to have his snack.

They loved all the little crevices a long the way.

Crossing the raging river.

We did finally see some wild life.

We caught up with my sisters and my neices and nephews and did a little hiking with them too.

Playing by the river. (Always makes me nervous).

After a whole day of hiking there is nothing like havin a big Diet Coke. Becky is a girl who understands this as well as I do. I love this picture and I love that this restraunt served their Cokes in those huge quart bottles!

BOTTOMS UP!

Then it was off to the hot tub with all the cousins. Perfect ending to a perfect day!

The next day we did a little shopping in Sringdale. Love this hat on Abram.

Sping had sprung in Springdale.

We played at the park before we went to the wedding and the boys had to race their dad to make sure that they are faster then he is.

Zions and Springdale is amazing and one of my favorite spots. Thanks everyone for such a fun and amazing weekend!!

Janurary, it came and it went so fast!

2011-01-31T16:34:00.008-07:00

We started out our new year with a day of sledding. The boys could do this all day long.

N and T heading down at the hill.

Abram piggy back on Clint

Mr. T's laugh is the funnest laugh I have ever ever heard. He is so giggly and when he laughs everyone around him laughs too. His laugh is contagious.

Making a train.

I can not believe the day that Abram was baptised has come and gone. This little man makes me so proud. He is such a great brother and a good example. The whole day was so good. We had lots of family come and he had so much support from all of them. I am so proud of the choice he made. He is such a happy kid and a good friend to everyone he meets. Good job Abram, keep it up!!

Nolan and Tate are such good buddies and play all day. This is one of their creations they made one day after school.

Turning 8 comes with a lot of big steps.

Abram on his first day of scouts. He looks so official in his little uniform.

One of our very favorite past times. We love the snowshoeing. This time we went with Grandpa Neil, Nate and his kids, Jesse and Finn. It was a beautiful day full of snowball fights and just playing in the snow.

You gotta eat the snow.

It's always nice to have a place to go on a cold day. On Martin Luther King Day the aquarium was the place for us.

Mr. T and the Toad

A and the Leopard Fish

The Sea turtle was so fun to watch. For sure my favorite part.

Abram, Nolan, and Tate loved the Sting Rays.

My boys have been making snowflakes all month. I find these all over the house.

Abrams pack meeting. He earned his first award and so he got to be in the big wheel race.

Everyday after I pick up Nolan and Tate from Kindergarten Nolan wants to help me make lunch and he always wants to eat mac and cheese. He puts on his apron and wants to do everything. He makes me a little nervous around the stove but he is so cute I can not resist his help. He is a sweet boy who always is wondering if he can help me with anything. From the laundry, to the dishes, vaccuming, really any thing I do around the house. He is my big helper. Thanks Noley!!

The Rest of Our Christmas

2011-01-27T16:40:00.009-07:00

Earlier this year we happened to hit the ski swap at Snow Bird. They had some ice skates there for 5 bucks a pair. They had sizes that fit the whole family (except me). So this winter we took the boys ice skating for the first time. I thought it was going to be crazy and maybe we would last like 20 minutes if we were lucky. They did so good and picked it right up. They could have stayed and skated all day. We are planning on going a whole lot more. Here are a few pics.

Mr. T

The whole fam.

N and A taking a brake

N ripping it up.

The boys so wanted to make a gingerbread house this year. I am not a big fan. So, I got the put together one at Costco. They had so much fun!

WooHoo!!!

My family Christmas party with Santa.

Christmas Eve is always a party at the Spencer house. We sing songs, do a nativity, open PJ'S, and just have a fun time. Thank you Grandma Becky!!

Uncle Jesse staring the conga line.

I love the nativity. So cute!!

A as a wise man

T as Joseph and N as a Shepard

Grandma got them all Santa Jammies this year.

Equipped with a trap doors. They were huge hit. Nolan still wants to wear his every night.

Grandpa Neil and Tate putting together his Lego's

Our tree the night before Christmas. Santa brought all kinds of stuff.

Nolan opening his stocking.

Tate with just what he ordered. A garbage truck named I STINK

Abram was very excited about the air hockey table.

My sister Jacki made these awesome aprons for the homemade gift that we do with my side of the family.

Tate and Abram taking it easy with a new game they got for Christmas.

Abram got a Knex Roller Coaster set. Clint and Abram had a good time putting it together.

Another wonderful Christmas!!

2010-12-22T16:33:00.008-07:00

Welcome to the catch up, which is what I'm trying to get done today....sheesh. The Holidays are certainly here, and we are blessed enough to celebrate A's B-Day in December too, so we're action packed! Here's the pics:

The Boys finally got some snow time with this last big storm. They were dying to play in the snow and stayed out almost all day long.

This is our dog Knibly. She needed a little face time on the blog.

Larry H. Millers sing-a-long was great again this year. The Walkers came with us this year and we all sang our brains out. Loved it!

A little fuzzy, but still cute The kids at the Angus family Christmas Party. Santa is explaining how kids need to be asleep when he comes, or he can't. Serious stuff.

Granny and Santy - Classic.

A asked Santa for a Lego Rollercoaster.

N asked for Hiccup and Toothless.

This pic should be T (we'll replace it). He wanted a Stinky Garbage truck toy.

We hosted the adult Chirstmas party for the Jensen clan, and it was another classic. Dinner was rolled pork loin, and it was awesome! Teeny worked her tail off and it turned out so great. Yum-yum!

A had his 2nd grade Christmas program and sang so great. They did Jingle Bell Rock and It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas along with some other fav's.

Mr. A's 8th birthday was a smash. We didn't tell him, but we got a hotel in SLC and some tickets to the Polar Express at the Utah Symphony. We picked him up Friday from school and just started heading for Salt Lake. We had such a great time as a family and made some great memories. After we checked in we had dinner at the Rio Grande, checked out the lights at Temple Sqauare, rode TRAX, and then headed back to the hotel to swim. After a good nights rest we opened presents, and headed to the Symphony. They loved all of it, but the guy singing the Polar Express wasn't a huge hit with them, nor us. After the Symphony we headed to Monkey Island with some of A's friends. They all had a blast. Teeny and I even joined in the fun. What a day. We all slept fantastically.

A and Cole at Granny Becky's

Teeny and the boys.

Some dork....

The monkey and the monkeys

The sculpture thing at Abravanel.

The Symphony

Shoot em' up....Nerf Style

The Birthday Boy

In love at the lights

The giant red 'tree' at Temple Square

They love to ride this thing.

Our Chirstmas tree was a dandy. We headed up to Daniels summit again with the Jensen's (Miles and Kristy). Neil and Beck came along too. We all got smashing trees, even at the great cost of hiking a ton! It was a little crazy, but all worth it.

Mr. A placing the star.

Hauling the trees isn't an easy task.

Fall-ing blog....

2010-11-22T10:25:00.007-07:00

It's always fun updating the blog. Teeny has been great the last little while, but while she is inundated with planning Thanksgiving feasts for the boys classes, I have been asked to pick up the slack. We've had a great fall. It's been great weather until today when apparently the storm of all storms is rolling in to Utah....fabulous. I'll get to the pics.....

N and T love doing their homework. They are such good little workers when they get stuck on a project.

So, Becky loves to spoil the monkeys....we love it too. She took the little squirts out and this is what they came back looking like.
We hit the park on a pleasant fall afternoon and it was so funny to watch them as they "got their exercise" as they put it. Here they are stretching before lapping the playground.

For my birthday this year, 36th by the way, the kids all got me Sorry. I haven't played in years, but they love it!

Teeny spoiled me this year. We've been sharing one ipod shuffle between the two of us for the last year or so, and she went out and surprised me with the new nano touch. I love it! She is the greatest!

Also for my birthday, we kept the kids out of school and took them up to Heber to get the annual Chiristmas tree permit(s). It was an early haul, but they loved breakfast at McD's. Then it was down to the valley and Temple Square. It was great being with my family on my b-day. Couldn't think of a better way to spend it.

The boys and I by the fountain.

Mr. A doing his best 'cool guy'. He just laughs and thinks he's so funny....we do too.

N and T bouncing around the fountains.

A and N waiting for us to catch up....they waited a lot.

We'd also never been to the top of the Church Office building, so being a Friday, we did it. This is the view looking west.

Mr. A holding a pose, almost, for the pic. That's Brigham's house down there.

Halloween....what a day, or week, or month. The dudes have been dressing up in their costumes since September. They were so excited this year to get candy, and rightly so. The weather was a pooper for trick or treating, but alas, Teeny braved it with them so I could stay home and watch the Utes game. Thanks Teeny! They all had a blast and hauled in some serious booty.

Every year my dad's office does a 'full size candy bar' trick or treat at his office. We met Nate and Jodi and their kids as well as Jess and Lindy with their chillins there this year. This is the after math where the kids scarf down the things they know we won't let them have first.

The cutest fat gorilla of the day.....

The bunch before the raid.

T was so excited to be 'Captain Jack Sparrow' even though he's never seen that movie or know who he is. He did a pretty great job as a pirate though. Happy little bucaneer.

We loved that N wanted to be Captain America. We had to get the costume with muscles in it just because the kid is such a string bean. He was awesome! It was crazy watching them all in their parades this year. Wish they'd stay this young forever.

Why A was holding up the 'rockstar salute' during the entire parade is beyond us, but he held to it and was an awesome ninja. His little personality is growing every day.

The guys putting on the scary face for the pics with the pumpkins.

The lit creations this year. A did the skulls, N was the bat, and T did the ghosts.

Let the carving begin.

So, a the week before Halloween, Teeny planned a primary activity where the kids came dressed up. It was a lot of work, but turned out great. Here is A cheering on Mr. T in the broom races.

A and his crew. Kaleb, Brayden and N.

This is the pumpkin we grew in our garden this year. It seems like we only get one or two, but hey, it was pretty big. A really wanted his pic with Mr. Bones too.

Well, I guess that's it. Halloween was really fun this year with the guys. They are at the perfect stage for loving everything about it. N was even a lot braver this year and didn't get as scared as last. We watched Charlie Browns 'Great Pumpkin' way too many times, ate too much candy and had a great time doing it!

Our October Fest....Part One.

2010-11-12T14:28:00.011-07:00

We started our October off with an amazing sailing trip with Grandpa Neil. Our boys love to sail and I have a lot of pics cause I love sailing pictures. It's so fun to watch them learn how to sail and help their Grandpa. Thanks Neil for the sail, we had a great time.

Mr. A helping Grandpa get the sail up.

We're sailing!!

Mr. T was on the look out for pirates the whole time we were on the boat.

So we figured we had better raise the ol' Jolly Roger.

The fall is the best time of year to go sailing. It was the most gorgeous day.

The next weekend we went to Snowbird to ride the tram. It was such a great drive with all the fall leaves in the Canyon and when you get to the top of the mountain on the tram you feel like you are on top of the world.

At the top you can see over into Heber.On this side you can see Salt Lake Valley and the back of Lone Peak.

My Boys love to play with Rocks.

What would October be with out hitting the pumpkin patch. Our kids had such a great time picking out their pumpkins, playing the the corn maze, and playing on the tractors.

We had a great garden this year. We had lots of tomatoes, beans, squash, peppers, and one giant pumpkin. When it was finally time to dig up the carrots I could not believe the amount of carrots we got. This picture does not do them justice. When I finally figured out what to do with all of them. I filled ten one gallon size freezer bags with washed,peeled, and cut carrots. It freaking took me all day. But we'll have carrots for a really long time, and the boys thought it was amazing that they could grow so many.

September...who doesn't love fall?

2010-09-28T15:48:00.017-06:00

Labor Day weekend is Clint's favorite Holiday, next to Christmas. We have a huge family get together in Payson where Onion Days is happening. It is fun to be with family, hang out and have fun. Every year we have a family golf tournament and I did not get any pictures of it this year cause I did not go. But Clint had a blast and his team won!! I stayed back at Aunt Trina's and the kids had a lot of fun playing in the water. They could have done this the whole weekend.

Nolan playing in the water.

Abram in the water

Not all the kids but a lot of them.

The next day after a huge breakfast we headed up to the grotto. This is Abram hiking with Clint's cousin Tanner.

Nolan sang the whole way up and drove his brothers a little nuts, but I liked it, He is such a happy kid and loves to make up little songs. I had the song "time to cross the water the water the water, time to cross the water" stuck in my brain the rest of the weekend.

We made it to the Grotto!

Party on party peeps. We had quite the group on the hike.

Abram and Clint in the back of the Grotto.

Maggie in the Grotto.

You can't go to Onion days with out hitting the carnie rides.

Abram and Clint

The boys on a Jeep ride.

We also did a little game playing over the weekend.

Becky being Donald Trump.

We ended the weekend with the parade. Nolan and Tate love the sirens, can you tell?

Utah's Hogle Zoo

Every fall I get some kind of innate desire to go to the zoo. So we took our usual fall trip to the zoo. I am always amazed by the animals.

We started out with the elephant show.

The boys love the reptile house. I am just glad a bird did not poop on me this year. Yes, that is what usually happens to me when I am around birds. I must have really ticked off a few birds in a previous life or something. I have reason to believe I have been shatted on by birds more then the average person. Just ask Clint.

Here we are at the bird show. No poop this time either.

Tigers

So proud of Nolan, this is the first year he was not afraid to get a drink from the Lion.

What a brave little guy.

Gotta have a train ride.

Tate the turtle.

Utah State Fair

Neil and Becky love to go to the fair. They called us and told us they wanted to go but that it is more fun with kids. So we went with them.
The kids loved the animals.

I was glad I brought hand sanitizer.

Baby pigs.

They liked the crazy feathers on the chickens.

I think this was there fav and mine. A working bee hive. I have to admit it was really amazing to see so close up.

You gotta love the old tractors.

He's a brine shrimp.

Alas the end of our evening. Thanks Neil and Becky we had a blast!

Cascade Springs

Driving the Alpine Loop in the fall is one of my favorite things to do. We always stop at Cascade Springs and do a little waking. If you have never been there you should for sure go. It is absolutely gorgeous!!

Here are some pictures of the boys playing around Cascade Springs.

With all the boys in school now, one of the ups is that Clint has every other Friday day off and we get some time together. Last Friday we went Mtn. biking. We use to do this a lot when we lived in Logan and I don't think I had been since before we had kids. It was so much fun. It was so great that we left right from our house on our bikes and we were in the mountains in less then five minutes. I love living where we do. It is so beautiful!!

Clint in his own words, taring up the mountain.

You gotta love the view.

Apple Orchard

The next Friday that Clint had off. I had to take the boys out of school early for flu shots. After the shots we decided to hit the local orchard.

Tate with his pumpkin.

Waiting for the hay ride.

Still waiting.

So excited. Can't wait any longer.

yep... Abram is waiting

Almost there.

Finally.... we waited forever. However it was well worth the wait we just happen to be the only ones there on the first hay ride of the season so we got the special treatment. Two guys drivng the tractor the older one, ( I think he owned the orchard) was trainin a kid how to drive the tractor and where to go. I guess the ride would normally just take you to the pumpkin patch, but we wanted to see the orchard, and the orchard we got.

We got out and picked our own apples.

The kids got to test the maze that they had not opened yet. The guy wanted to make sure that kids will like it. It was made out of huge apple crates.

Of course they loved it!

We got a private hour long tour of the orchard and I am convinced that I would love to live on an orchard.

First day of School

2010-09-12T18:43:00.004-06:00

I don't know if the going back to school thing is ever going to get easier for me. I am always sad when its time for them to go back.

Abram started the 2nd grade this year.
Where has the time gone, I can not believe he is so big!!

He is such a great kid and loves to play with his little brothers.

He reads books to them all the time. This was right before it was time to head off to school.

Getting ready for the hike to school.

He was so excited to start. He loves school and loves to learn knew things.

The next week Kindergarten Started.

I can not believe that N and T are in Kindergarten. All my kids are in school. What the What???

All summer I could not even bring myself to think about it or talk about it. It made me cry every time I did. It's not that I don't want them to go. Its just they grow up too fast and time goes by even faster when there in school. I swear it does.

They are loving it however and are so excited to go everyday, and that makes me happy.

I love these back pack pictures. Their backpacks are bigger then they are.

So cute!!

Mr. Nolan

Mr. Tate

Waiting to go inside.

I put them in the same class for Kindergarten. They are such good little buddies and do so good together. I hope they stay that close forever. This is their Teacher Mrs. Rigby she is a great kindergarten teacher. I am so glad they got a good teacher!!

I welled up just a little after they went in, but Clint was with me so instead of going home and just being sad Clint took half a day off. We went for a run and I felt much better. Clint is as good as they get. I am so glad I have him!!

They had so much fun and were back before I knew it.

Happy as can be!!

The rest of our summer.....where did it go???

2010-09-09T20:25:00.014-06:00

Sorry about the slew of pictures you are about to see. I am, as I write, making a vow to be more on top of the updating of the blog so I never have to download so many pictures at one time again!! We did a lot of things in the month of August. I always get that feeling when school is about to start, that I need to hurry and play a lot before we are back to schedules and homework. So with that said, let the blogging begin.

We took the boys hiking to Cecret Lake up Little Cottonwood Canyon. I had never been there and it was beautiful. I highly recommend it. The boys had a blast and it was the perfect length for their little legs.

I will let these pics explain themselves.

I do know how to spell secret, but this lake is called Cecret Lake.

Whod a thunk??

I love this picture of Nolan.

On the look out of big horn sheep.

Cowabunga Bay. We were a little hesitant about this place. But it was great. There was so much for the kids to do. Tons of slides for N and T, and A could go on anything. Even standing in line was fun. There is water squirters everywhere, and my kids had a blast playing with them and squirting people.

A and Clint getting ready to go down the big fast slide.

A was so brave, he did all the big fast slides.

Mr. T swimming in the pool. N and T love the lazy river and the turney slides.

Thanksgiving point farmers market.

We love a good farmers market, and the one at Thanksgiving point was great.

Clint bought a tunnel cake. It was delicious!!
They also had yummy produce, we bought some huge black berries, and some nice red potatoes.

My boys had a blast playing the the splash fountain.

Bear Lake was a blast this year. It is my favorite place to camp. My kids have to much fun. They could play on the beach and swim all day, and they did.

There were lots of frogs this year and I think my boys caught at least 4 in their buckets and then would let them go.
N and A on the look out for frogs.

Checking out one of the frogs they caught.
The frog.

Every year Clint loves to make a sand sculpture. This year, you guessed it...a frog.
We did a little bike riding while we were there. The first day Clint and I went with Neil on the Circle Valley ride. It is beautiful. The next day we went on a shorter ride with the boys.

Abram did awesome!!

We also got to do a little jet skiing. My boys keep telling me that they are asking Santa for jet skis for Christmas.

Football on the beach.

Yay for Bear Lake... Until next year.

Collecting shells on the beach. There were tons this year.

Kennecott Copper Mine

This was a fun day trip. The boys thought this was great. The huge trucks were big hit. My Grandpa use to work here on a huge crane. It was fun to remember him and tell my kids stories about my Grandpa. He died just before I got pregnant with Mr. Abram. I wish my kids could have met him. He was a great guy!!

We did a lot of biking this summer. We love to ride our bikes to the snow shack. Nolan and Tate are getting so close to being done with their training wheels. Little more practice and they will have it!!

This is just a random pic of Abram at the dollar store. I just happen to have my camera with me, and thank goodness for that. This picture make me laugh every time I see it.

One of our favorite places in the whole world to visit and I am not even sure what the real name of the place is. We just call it the duck pond. We picnic here at least once a summer. There are all kinds of fun things to do at this park.

Taken a breather with the boys.

Hiking to the top of the river.

They started out feeding the ducks and tons of fish came. Then they just got in the water and were determined to catch a fish with their bare hands. It did not work the way they had hoped it would.

If you hold really still the fish might think you are a rock and then you might be able to catch one with you hands.

Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

We had an amazing summer. It always goes by too fast.

July-a-thon

2010-08-10T08:53:00.021-06:00

So, July has got to be the most busy month for us other than December. It's our summer month, when the 's' word (school) isn't even mentioned or thought about. This July was great.

Highland Splash Pad

Teeny heard about this place and went to find it with the kids. They love playing in the creek like they are dinos mostly. What else would be in the creek? I took a Thursday off work before my Friday off and this is one of the places we visited. What a great weekend!

T dino-ing up the creek

A doing his dino

N loved to be on top of this rock....funny.

Swim Lessons

We put all three of the monkeys into swim lessons this year. We figured it was literally time to sink or swim. They all swim, lucky for them. We've been in the water a ton this year and it has made it easy for them to be so much more comfortable with swimming, especially T. They all passed their classes and are ready for more. The teachers at the American Fork rec program were great too. We tried the Lehi program last year and didn't like it nearly as much. Little fish...
A waiting for his turn

N and T with their teachers.

The Bees Games

So, we've been using the tickets we got from Larry H's Christmas program. Kamron, Teeny's bro, has season tickets and heckles players along with his 'crew' almost every game. We've bumped into him both times we've gone. The kids like rooting the Bees on, but mostly they are there for the train rides.

Mr. Bees, Kamron, and the monkeys.

Mr. Bee himself with the chillens. N is still scared of him.

We love popcorn.

Riding the train, the purpose of baseball games.

Wheeler Farm

Teeny has been doing tons of things with the kiddies while I'm at work. Quite a few have been with our friend Larry. She has more energy than the sun and we're just waiting for her to explode one day. Our kids love hanging out with Madelyn and Izzie. It's funny for them to be around girlys.

We're not sure who's going to lay the egg first, the duck, or Larry.

They happened on the worlds largest stash of bread to throw to the ducks.

More Swim Lessons

They had lessons four times a week for two weeks. It was right after we got back from Glenwood Springs where we spent every day in the pool for at least a couple hours.

N kicking it.

N with his class.

T taking his turn.

N and T's class.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

This was our family vacation this year. We'd never been here, or really knew much about it, but we certainly do now. We spent four days there doing everything there was to do and feel kind of like a part of us in Colorado. Glenwood Springs is famous because of it's natural hot springs. Doc Holladay went there in his later years to hopefully heal him of his tuberculosis. Poor guy, it didn't work and he ended up dying there. We went and visited ole Doc though along with tons of other things.

Neil and Becks in front of Doc's grave

Jesse at the cemetary. N took this pic and a couple of the next ones. He got poses from people we could never get.

Doug would never pose like this for us, but for Noly, sure.

N's pic of Jodi.

Ava, his cousin. Cutey.

Here is N chugging up the trail to the cemetery.

These two were inseparable during the trip. One day they'll get in loads of trouble together.

The family at BeauJo's Pizza. We celebrated the parents 40th wedding anniversary there.

The whole fam-damily.

The Happy Couple after 40 years.

Our hotel had the best pool ever, especially for kids. The best part was there was no one to cram all the rules about the slide down your throat so we went down as creatively as we could!

A, N, and T all went down by themselves. So brave.

I piggy backed A in this one.

Nate found these beauties at the second hand store. What a bargain!

Teeny and Mae

The kids spent a lot of time in the hot tub, of course.

A loved it all.

So our daily routine was: wake up, exercise (for the adults), get breakfast, do something with the family, have lunch, swim, have dinner and party. It was a tough vacation.

On this particular day our activity was biking the kids down the river. Here's all the ladies.

The little squirts down by the river.

Me and da' boys. There's just something about throwing rocks into water.....

There was also an amusement park there. The tram was at our hotel and we spent a day up there playing on the alpine slide, panning for gold, cutting geodes, and riding rides.

The kiddies in the tram on the way down.

My Teeny and the Fourteeners in the background.

Ma and Pa. They are the best. Thanks a ton for a great get-a-way!

The boys on the balcony.

The family at sunset.

On the way up in the tram.

The geode we cut was awesome. We cut it into thirds so the middle section looked hollow. The guy cutting it said it was one of the best he'd ever seen there.

A and his bag of gems.

N panning for goodies.

T with a keeper.

A panning. This was the cheapest thing we did up there, but the thing the kids liked the most.

There was a structure there that was designed like a tight cave that the boys made it through. It was pretty neat to see them all working at it together. There were some tight spots.

N and T squeezing through.

Teeny and N on the alpine coaster. So fast, so fun.

A and I didn't brake once.

Becky went down with T.

A and I in the chute.

This is little Larky. She's Jess and Lindy's and so flippin' fun!

The dudes on the bikes in downtown Glenwood Springs.

Downtown Glenwood. What a place. Teeny and Lindy liked it too, apparently.

This was our end stop on our bike ride up the trail alongside the Colorado River. It was a beauty of a ride minus me and Becks crashes. We learned to appreciate utensils at this lunch.

Here is Teeny lugging the boys along the trail.

A and Cole, always together.

Our first night there we went to an outdoor concert. It was fun for us, but the boys were so tired they all pooped out during the show.

Teeny and I with all the happenin' peeps.

"CHEESE!" So cute this kid.

The gang on our way over the river and to the park.

One of the highlights of the trip was just getting there. Grandpa Neil rode the train with the kids from Salt Lake. They loved it, needless to say.

N and T on the train. Teeny said they didn't stay like this too long.

A and Cole made a Bakugan buddy.

A and Neil on the observation car. Windows everywhere.

T loving it.

A view of the ride.

Grandpa Neil rode with the older kids from Salt Lake early that morning. We met up with them in Green River where the little kiddies and Teeny hopped on for the rest of the way. Here they are waiting.

Sailing the Great Salt Lake

Jake and Ash heard about my dad's boat and wanted to go out sailing so we go together with them and Ryan and Jacki and headed out one night. It was a great sail. The wind was steady out, but then died out on us, which was really just fine. We mozied back in and BS'd a lot.

This is a great pic of Ryan at sunset on the lake.

Me and the sunset on GSL. It's tough to beat.

The newly-weds.

Ash and I on the Salty Dog.

I'm still not convinced Ash loves Jake more than mustard. That was most of her sandwich. Subway ran out after she was done ordering......more, a little more, more, more......

The Jake with the riggings.

Awwwwe, sisters.

Teeny was clearly stoked to get away from the spiders at the marina.

Ryan and Ash heading out.

Silver Lake

We spent one Saturday hiking up to Upper Silver Lake by Silver Lake in AF canyon. It was a tough hike, but the kids all stuck it out and made it up and back (6miles, 1400 feet of elevation). They really were troopers. People would stop and ask how the whining was going and we'd say, "What whining?" It was a great way to get out of the heat too. We even saw a moose on the trail!

Neil and A at the lake.

The family pic.

The troop soaking their feets.

I was sure a kid would fall in, but no one did....amazing!

What a hot mom!

Amazing how dirty they got. Check out Mr. T!

At Silver Lake before the hike. We picnicked by the shore. What a view!

Fourth of July in Gunnison

So, we've been going to Gunnison for the last few years and it's grown into one of my favorite traditions. Mark and Jodi are amazing for putting up with us all, so thanks for that. Teeny and her sisters are out of control when they are together so us husbands have to pick up some serious slack this weekend. It's great entertainment though. Those ladies are uncontrollable.

Watching fireworks at the motel.

The parade. They throw enough candy to fill Kam's truck bed.

This is a dragon under the underpass along Main Street. It's pretty cool when you're down there and a huge diesel goes by it sounds like the dragon is roaring. Scared the boys a little, especially N, go figure.

Baseball and Becky's birthday

So for our first outing at the Bees game we called Becky to wish her a happy birthday and she happened to be in Salt Lake. Well, whatever it was she was doing went short and her and my dad were able to make it to the game. It was fun having them there. Neil even bought her a churro.
Becky, the boys and the churro.

Again, what's a baseball game without a train ride?!

They gave out high fives to everyone they passed on the train, and while on the train.

Waiting for the train.

Boys and Baseball, what a combo.

Sigh, well that was July! August has been busy already so stay tuned!

June - in short.....

2010-07-07T10:24:00.006-06:00

So, the month of June has come and gone......what the what?! The biggest, and most important event this past month was that N and T turned 5! These guys are still are little guys and we can't believe they are actually 5. They have been so fun to watch grow though. They are getting their reading down so good thanks to Teeny. She has been so great at helping A too with his reading. They are such good buddies and are so concerned about what the other is doing. They both are great friends with A too. We hope it always stays that way. Such funny kids.

A wanted to get them Wall-E for the big day. They love it, and laugh at it all the time. T's chuckle is uncontrollable sometimes.

They had a party with all their buddies. We asked them if they wanted any girls there, but they just wanted a boy party.

Against our better judgement, we got a pinata for them to bust open. It went well though and no kids heads were busted open, just the dino.

N taking his swing.

T's taking it out on the T-rex.

Teeny made these great dino cakes. They love them and all requested body parts to eat after the candles.

So, one of our summer to do's was to go to Antelope Island and take the boys to see the buffalo. What a great idea. We packed up the monkey wagon and made the hour plus trip up to Antelope Island only to see a sign that read, "Biting bugs are bad today". When we asked about it the bugs were everywhere we wanted to be and they apparently were nasty biters and not even bug spray would keep them away. So, both of us ticked, we headed home.....almost. We took a little different route getting back home and came across the Jensen Nature Park in Syracuse. Not wanting to have driven all that way for nothing we pulled in and had a great time at the park doing just exactly what we would have done at Antelope Island, minus the tatanka. It turned out to be a great outing and we'll go back there sometime.

The kids chucking rocks into the pond there.

Riding the nature trail with the kiddos.

N and T have it good in the trailer.

We came across this great little wagon the monkeys could pose on. Little posers anyways.

Every year we miss the Eagle Mountain town days celebration, or so it seems. This year, we were actually around and got to do a lot of stuff down at the park close to our house. They had a parade, rides, and lots of other things that the boys loved.

A saw the lady Owl in the parade and got a picture and a sweet water bottle.

Giddy the flip up! A with his parade garb.

After the face painting. I love that A wanted an Aggie 'A'!

Celebrating Jodi, N, and T's birthdays at Neil and Becks.

So, working for the city has its perks......no raises mind you, but some perks. Instead of raises the last couple years they have given the employees free passes to the pool. We'd still love a raise.......someday.